ASIL C safety rated field current sensor is a first, claims Allegro MicroSystems
Claimed to be the first ASIL C (Automotive Safety Integrity Level C) rated field current sensor for electric vehicle powertrain systems are sampling now. Allegro MicroSystems said they are available to support designers in achieving new safety and efficiency standards for electric vehicles.
The ACS37601, ASIL C safety rated, high-precision, field current sensor is claimed to have best-in-class accuracy for traction and auxiliary inverter systems as well as battery management systems in electric vehicles (EVs).
It is designed to be used along with a C-core. The ACS37601 is claimed to be the first ASIL C-rated field current sensor that achieves 0.8 per cent sensitivity error and less than 5mV offset error over the automotive temperature range. It has 30 per cent less noise than legacy devices, making it suitable for battery management applications.
The high operating bandwidth from DC to 240 kHz and fast 2 microseconds response time enable new performance in DC battery charging and high-frequency automotive inverter applications. To support adoption of the most advanced microprocessors without requiring additional components, the ACS37601 works with 5.0 or 3.3V power supplies.
To enable designers of inverter and battery management systems to achieve higher safety targets based on ASIL requirements Allegro has developed the ACS37601 programmable linear Hall-effect current sensor IC with over-current, over-temperature, and self-test capabilities. They are designed to achieve high accuracy and resolution without compromising bandwidth, said Allegro. The ACS37601 is Allegro’s highest-accuracy field current sensor for applications requiring measurement capability greater than 200A.
Qualifying the sensor’s effectiveness, Littelfuse’s vice president of business development, Julio Urrea, said: “Allegro’s ACS37601 is enabling us to meet e-mobility functional safety and accuracy requirements in our battery management systems and EV traction inverter current sensor applications”.
To help designers deliver the most-advanced ASIL-compliant battery management and inverter systems, samples of the ACS37601 are currently offered in a thin (1.0mm thick), four-pin single in-line package (SIP), referred to as the KT package. The KT package is available in straight leads as well as a lead-formed option for surface mount assembly and a high tolerance to mechanical vibrations. The package is lead (Pb) free, with 100 per cent matt tin leadframe plating.
